FIFTH AVENUE
New York City
LOCATION
Flatiron, New York City
TYPE
Office
Dumais designed the headquarters of a New York investment firm, a comprehensive project that accompanied the gut renovation of the company’s sixth-floor offices. The upscale-residential look and feel provides an inviting alternative to the traditional corporate setting, one in which the original space’s scale and proportions are used to maximal effect.
Guided by the abundance of natural light, Dumais embraced a ‘light and bright’ approach for the reception lounge, outfitting it with greenery and mid-century vintage furniture with tailored upholstery.
Photography by Eric Piasecki. Architecture by Fogarty Finger Architectural & Unity Construction
The building’s elevators open onto the office’s reception area, which, sitting under two massive skylights and with Juliet balconies beyond the windows, felt more like an atrium in a grand Parisian home. Inspired by this, we divided the room into a series of home-like spaces, including a seating area composed of a Dunbar sofa, a laid-back art deco-style lounge chair, and a pair of Jeanneret chairs.
IIsamu Noguchi’s Akari pendants sit above the table in the conference room, adding a warm, diffuse light to the already radiant space. The International style of the office’s other areas is found in the Mies van der Rohe chairs, upholstered in mohair.
The company’s CEO wanted their office to feel homey, so we took cues from dens that we’d designed over the years, especially when it came to the floor-to-ceiling bookcase in richly stained oak that houses their library. Taking inspiration from Carl Aubock, a custom pendant hangs above the desk, and a Serge Mouille floor lamp illuminates a conversational seating group.
